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Tetris Wouldn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Might Solve This

As any prominent honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of fans who have specialized interests.

My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.

To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

  • One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category during that awards season
  • Another creative title missed out that year
  • A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
  • Only a few puzzle games scraped into independent or mobile categories

Importance of Logic Titles

Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles in the world and have been for many years.

The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.

Proposal and Rationale

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.

And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.

The writer

Susan Clarke

Elara is a city planner and writer passionate about sustainable urban development and community engagement.

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